During the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Academy of Sciences in Hamburg , Fabian Leendertz, founding director of the Helmholtz Institute for One Health (HIOH), was inducted as a full member. The ceremony took place on 16 October 2025 in Hamburg. Five new members joined the interdisciplinary network, which currently comprises 145 leading scientists from northern Germany. HIOH is a site of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI).

Scientist Dr. Lina Herhaus, who heads the junior research group “Immune Signaling” at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), will receive one of the coveted Exploration Grants from the Boehringer Ingelheim Stiftung starting in March 2026. This program offers outstanding basic researchers in biology, chemistry and medicine the opportunity to explore new directions in research. In addition, Herhaus received the Walther Flemming Award from the German Society of Cell Biology (DGZ) and ibidi GmbH on October 27, 2025. The prize is endowed with 3,000 euros and is awarded to experienced postdoctoral researchers and young scientists for outstanding achievements in cell biology.

Poliomyelitis, also known as polio, is a contagious disease caused by the poliovirus. Thanks to the development of effective vaccines, the poliovirus has been largely eradicated and was endemic in only two countries in 2024. However, until the virus is eradicated worldwide, vaccination protection is important in Germany as well, as the virus could be reintroduced at any time. Epidemiologists at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) have now shown that many people do not know their vaccination status and cannot find it on their vaccination record. In an interview on the occasion of World Polio Day on October 24, Dr. Carolina Klett-Tammen, deputy head of Clinical Epidemiology in the department “Epidemiology” at the HZI, explains the study results, which have been published in the journal BMC Public Health.